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will live from Glasgow · On A Journey (500 Miles) Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 48

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7386889.stm

this will basically be a rant,but reclassifying cannabis as a class B drug is a terrible idea, all independent studies have shown its not THAT bad unless you use it way to much or are already inclined to mental illness.

It had been my hope that we were soon going to see an end to the hypocritical drugs laws in this country that turns a blind eye to the serious problems caused by alcohol while seemingly inventing problems to justify a draconian attitude to most other drugs.

perhaps naively i believed a more dutch attitude to drugs: seeing drug use as a health matter not a criminal one and making a distinction between hard and soft drugs, was on the way, if reclassification goes ahead it will be one giant step backwards.

see told you it would be a rant,what do you think?

agentmancuso · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 4:29 pm Post subject:

I agree. Labour's attitude to the problem of drug use is pathetic.
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Lewis · No Longer a Wean Joined: 21 Feb 2008 Posts: 81

Tightening the laws on it makes no sense to me. I think that it should be kept the same.
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Scott2006 · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 2:23 am Post subject:

The active ingredient in cannabis is about 7% - strains such as skunk have between 12% and 20% active ingredient.
As you cannot always guarantee the strength of the plant strain it comes from - keeping it at a lower class substance would see chemists and growers attempting to produce a super-skunk therby guaranteeing return custom in a saturated underground gangster dominated market.

I lost a friend to heavy weed abuse from London skunk. After just a few months, he couldn't cope with the feelings of depression and other effects.

Public responsibility versus personal liberty, or is it personal responsibility versus public liberty?
It depends how you weigh the relative strengths and merits of criminalising people seeking a psychoactive chemical high. It reminds me of the doctor advising some people not to have children after they had inflicted on their bodies prolonged drug abuse.

Skunk is getting stronger every year.
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The Scottish Parliamentarians who voted for Treaty of Union in 1706 and signed away Independence had been voted for by less than 2% of the Scottish population

Red Justice · Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 9:41 pm Post subject:

I believe that any drug misuse should be treated as a social rather than criminal issue. A prohibition or "Just Say No" approach has failed drug users in the past.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is thought to have urged that cannabis remains class C, to which it was downgraded under Tony Blair.

But Gordon Brown is understood to be keen that the drug is reclassified to B amid particular concerns about the prevalence of the stronger "skunk" variety. I thought skunk had been around a hell of a lot longer than the New Labour government.

Certainly I would not dispute about stronger varieties of skunk being made available on the black market now. However the general reclassification is a mistake for cannabis. It will have no effect on levels of use or danger to the individual and is a pointless exercise designed to appease the tabloids.

New Labour seem all to willing to put forward draconian legislation with no consideration for scientific research into drug misuse.

The only way for a government to get control of cannabis use in this country, and to have an effect, is to legalise it under license and then legislate on it's use as it does with tobacco and alcohol."

Both legal and illegal drugs are often misused. Alcohol misuse can also lead to mental illness including depression also and also when often abused at a young age.

Brown and his advisers are too much the idiots to consider more qualified opinions and legistate on that basis.
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Abieuan · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 8:48 pm Post subject:

Red Justice wrote:

Red Justice · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 10:40 pm Post subject:

I think all sensible people realise that both legal and illegal use of drugs whether non-problematic recreational use or otherwise and the consequences would take a generation or two to deal with. Scotland's drinking culture leads to much violence. I don't advocate smoking cannabis but have never come across anti-social behaviour as a result of it's use. I have in pubs with alcohol.

As for people who are lazy blame the system I always do Very Happy

I do agree on taxes being put to better use than the waste on war or Trident by the morons in Westminster.

Who are the nasty people in swimming pools?
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Abieuan · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 5:37 pm Post subject:

Red Justice · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 11:11 pm Post subject:

Yes I find it hard to believe that if apparent acts of terrorism can be prevented nowadays how come drug gangs cannot be prevented? I am more for a socialist society where community policing can be carried out for example a small time user taken aside leading to bigger fish. In my community I know who the junkies are because some are anti-social elements. One in a neighbouring community recently broke into a house of a disabled man who is blind. Such behaviour deserves a direct response from the community and stuff the police! However when I mean junkies many are using hard drugs not so much cannabis in my area. Other than that I believe in a society that does not criminalise people for drug usage but rather effective resources allocated to help users who misuse drugs or who are addicted. If you did legalise cannabis and legislate on the sale of the drug you introduce more control over it and it's usage. A fresh approach is needed to deal with harder drug usage and put out of business the drug barons who profit from the industry.
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